Sunshine Washed Up on the Shore
by raizael
Summary: harvest moon. cliff/claire. a young lady washed up on the shore of our beach one day, and it left quite an impression on the entire town.


Sunshine Washed Up on the Shore  
_cliff/claire_

It had just been a few years.

A young lady washed up on the shore of our beach one day, and it left quite an impression on the entire town. No one knew where she actually came from, even she didn't know how or when she ended up here, but it _had_ happened, like fate had pulled on a few strings just to strike this place with something that looked unrealistic and storybook-based, and it worked.

The day she was found unconscious and almost breathless, Zack was out fishing. He yelled out when he saw her, and _church boy_ Cliff came almost immediately upon cue. I would have come sooner than later, but it was a Sunday when it happened, I was busy tending to Lily's health like I always was for her weekly check up. Good mother of two, she was, stronger than one would think despite her illness.

By the time I came, she was already conscious, and I supposed Cliff already saved her from choking salt water. A few more came rushing down the beach that spring morning, no one could believe what happened. It definitely wasn't everyday that a girl would wash up on the beach.

I didn't meet her until later when she was brought to the clinic. Elli was around as usual to help me, and so was the mayor, Pastor Carter, and, unexpectedly, Cliff. I never knew who he really was, that boy. He frequented the church as far as I knew, stayed in the inn and would be Ann's favorite if I'm not mistaken; it was the way she looked at him. He was new, showed up in town a few weeks before this young lady suddenly came, one would think it was fairly coincidental. Fate _did_ do something.

When she stirred awake, I found out that her name was Claire. No recollection of what had happened whatsoever, but she was perfectly fine, perfectly healthy. The mayor came shortly after and I decided to step out of the scene, unwillingly. I knew from then that just by watching from afar, I couldn't help but look back again and again. It was no mistake that the boys of this town often looked her way, the way I did. Before we knew it, we were all competing for her affection like it was the first prize award for a festival held at the Rose Square. Even _I_ didn't attend as much festivals as everyone did, and I knew for a fact that Cliff was just the same, if not less frequent than I was.

The mayor offered her to stay in town. There was a barren farm near the mountains just beside Lily's poultry farm, and they opted for her to stay there. She agreed, and I swear I felt my heart leap when I found out. I've had sleepless nights going through studies of herbal medication, only to find out that each time I bowed my head over scribbled notes and tainted crisp leaves, I had her in my mind. Elli would scold me the next day for getting dark circles under my eyes. She'd say I'm a doctor, I should know how to watch my own health too. She reminded me so much of my mother, that girl.

The first time she came to the clinic herself (without having someone to carry her in, I mean) I was in the middle of a conversation with my assistant. Elli's face suddenly grew in color when I had said something (I forgot, I wasn't even aware), and Claire stood at the door as firsthand witness. She asked for a check up just in case and left without questions. I felt kind of worried as to what she might have thought as I looked over at the reception desk, Elli with the widest grin on her face.

For awhile she came to the clinic as regularly as she did. I'd noticed her more and more, especially when in during festival contests that I attended, she would stand on platforms with much pride for winning first place. For the Harvest Goddess Festival in spring, she danced gracefully in that stunning dress, and she was just _illuminating_. I knew for a fact that the other boys were also impressed, those stupid smiles on their faces showed quite too much.

I thought I was the luckiest man. I was the one she often visited, I helped her as often as I could, but it never occurred to me at once that I might just be looking at this from my point of view. I had forgotten about most other things that I felt selfish for awhile, a little bitter. I had only realized when I saw the way she looked at that church boy, and the way he looked back at her. Fate was starting to put on a show again, and this time, it was a private show for only a few people.

I couldn't feel jealous. I was just _too_ mature, and I supposed I couldn't think of anything creative or swooning enough to make her look at me like she did to Cliff. The moments we shared, I'd have to admit, were very professional; doctor-patient conversations (because all I can ever say and tell her is something health-related). What they had was special.

After awhile, the feeling sank in. She still often came to the clinic for check-ups just as often as my other patients did, and each time she seemed to appear better and better. I couldn't help but think that Cliff was doing something to make her feel so… happy.

Then again, I found out it had been the other way around.

I came to the chapel for confession (I had overslept again) but Pastor Carter said the confessional booth was currently under construction for a voice changer, and I'd have to tell him openly if I wished (oh, irony). I debated on the topic long enough to notice that Claire had entered the place of silence, bento in hand.

She gave it to the pastor. Somehow I felt a little stupid to think of… other things, but I felt relieved. She greeted me anyway, smiled and went off to Cliff at one of the pews. Of course I couldn't look away.

She probably said something intelligible, and Cliff made a face, looked down quite embarrassed. She giggled, and we all heard it. My shoulders suddenly fell at ease, and my heart pounded in fast but sure steady paces against my chest. I only wished that this was the effect of the feeling one would get for going to church, but I knew it was something else that was making me feel this way—and it felt comforting.

"She's a sweet girl," Carter said.

I turned my attention away from the two and towards the pastor.

"She's lucky to have lived after whatever it was that brought her here."

I looked back and couldn't help but agree more.

"Cliff is a shy boy, you probably could tell," he said in whisper, "that's why I'm glad Claire came. She's doing the boy some good, even if he's still so held back on his emotions. She really helps him a lot. She helps us _all_ a lot."

I left the chapel considering priesthood just for laughs.

Summer came, so Kai came. I thought "here comes the competition" because we all knew Kai was the overseas heartbreaker, ladies' man, other names women could possibly think of just to praise his charisma, or looks, or whatever it was that he possessed that put ladies, both married and single, into a trance of falling in love with him. We all had qualms about him, Duke and overprotective-of-his-sister Rick most especially.

I simply thought he would be swooning all the girls again now that he was around, Claire included, naturally, so I backed off, with no sense of defeat but merely just of respect, how ever that was possible. I expected her to fawn over the irresistible swooning (mind you, I don't think it's irresistible, women just seem to think so, Elli said) but I thought wrong. I thought _very_ wrong.

There was swooning, definitely, just no helplessly falling for him or spending time with him. Claire was still the same: farm work, chores, duties, and Cliff. When Kai left, I knew summer has ended. I knew I'd fallen harder for her and I knew the feeling was throbbing painfully even more.

When fall came, I heard of Claire's job offering at the Aja Winery. She invited Cliff to help out, mostly because he was low on cash and was still jobless since coming to town. (You could really tell how women are so empowering over men these days) He said he would leave town if things weren't running smoothly for him, or so I've heard.

I knew they had such a wonderful chemistry while at work, I'd seen it myself when I passed by the winery to get some of the good stuff. I probably caught them playing a game while Duke watched them work (and play) because they were laughing and having such a good time with each other's company. And as I left, I realized that something had gone bitter, but I couldn't tell whether it was the wine, or the feeling that sank inside me.

Cliff decided to stay after that. The couple owning the winery decided to keep him all year long (and so on) to help with their business. Right as winter came, they decided to pass on the winery to him. Claire was ecstatic.

On Winter Thanksgiving, Elli gave me chocolates. I was grateful, but I knew I couldn't return her feelings when Spring Thanksgiving came. I knew my heart had belonged to someone else, but I also that _she_ had another person in mind. I visited the inn for a drink and found Cliff with chocolates, the same ones I got from Elli.

On the starry night festival, I stayed up all night engrossed in my work when I heard giggles outside the clinic. I knew whom it belonged to; I remembered getting that comforting feeling.

I couldn't help but look out the window that evening, down at them both (but might I say that the stars were wonderful up above). I couldn't get myself engrossed in this topic, so I tried to get back to work, but it was difficult to look away, not when the moon was bright on her face, and I saw what Cliff had found beautiful in her.

When it was the first day of spring, we all knew it was that time of the year already. We were at the Rose Square standing by the large bonfire, and I stood nervously among everyone else. Cliff was closest to the fire, quite as nervous as I was, and I knew why. We all probably did, anyway.

Claire came and we all looked. All boys did, anyway. They all started to fumble around while I made my way to her, cautiously. The fire was warm, and it was all the light I could see, if not for Claire herself. I asked her to dance with me, and she smiled.

Elli looked at me bitterly and I knew why. I supposed then that I should give her chocolates too on Spring Thanksgiving just for the sake of gratitude, no feelings attached. Pity, maybe, but that would have to be it. I looked back at Claire and hoped for an answer, the one more preferable than the other naturally, but I knew I wasn't supposed to expect much. I knew Cliff was watching from behind, probably with the same bitter face Elli had at the moment.

"I'm sorry," she said. She wanted to dance with someone else. She knew I knew, because she looked past my shoulder, and I could probably see with the eyes on my back the person she wanted to dance with. I smiled anyway, and thanked her for her time. I stood at the side with Elli and despite the yellow light, I clearly saw red on her face.

Claire danced with Cliff, and no one had that bitter face anymore, no one, but _one_.

I heard from Jeff (who came to the clinic on Tuesdays for regular check up) that Cliff had purchased a Blue Feather from the Supermarket the other day. He brought Claire to Mother Hill's Peak one night, and something had happened. I already knew what, and I supposed I knew what was going to happen next.

For the next few days since knowing the news, I found out that Cliff locked himself up in his room in the inn. I thought there was something strange about how that had spread from the older women chatting at the Rose Square in the afternoon, because there were still no wedding bells, and normally cold feet occurred just minutes before walking down the aisle. I knew by the expression on Claire's face when she came to the clinic for a check up.

I congratulated her, but she didn't look too happy, not like how she was supposed to, anyway.

I finally decided to tell her, because she didn't seem to know what was happening.

"You know Ann's trying to keep Cliff away from you, right?"

She looked hurt. She knew she liked him, anyway.

"I'm sorry."

She smiled and thanked me anyway, and I proceeded with the check up. She left with a smile that I thought was sour but still pretty, and merely hoped for the best.

I'd known about this for quite awhile, ever since Cliff came. Ann was rather tomboyish; her mother left her early, and she lived a rather independent life alone if not for her father who runs the inn on a full schedule. When Cliff came, she suddenly became prim and proper, but tomboy Ann wasn't completely gone. She was sweet as ever, bringing Cliff lunch almost everyday at the church before he started working at the winery, before there was Claire.

The day Cliff fell in the Rose Square from exhaustion, a number of people came to the clinic bringing him in: Doug, the pastor, and Ann and Claire.

When the boy was safe on the bed, I couldn't help but look again. Claire had saved him, and everyone was simply grateful. Some sort of good karma, I thought, and déjà vu in another sense because I knew that from the first time Claire had been saved, some of the boys looked at Cliff with bitter faces. That time, Ann had looked at her with the same.

Ann got over her sentiments after awhile. She attended their wedding with a grateful smile while I stayed in the clinic attending to my duties as doctor of the town. It was a Sunday when the church bells rang; I was tending to Lily and her weekly check-up again. She said she was happy to see them happy, I told her I was grateful and smiled at the sound of ringing church bells.

They stayed in town and lived one life together, like any newlywed couple would. She continued to work in her farm tediously, while Cliff worked at the winery just as hard. A few weeks later, I left town. I wanted to study a bit more on medicine, and this place didn't provide me with most of the research material I needed even with the help of herbs expert Basil himself and the information found in his daughter's library.

Elli stood at the pier with the saddest face, her eyes at the verge of tears and I couldn't help but hug her to save her from her tears. She cried on my shoulder and I tried to calm her down. I felt bad for having to leave her all alone with the work, but I felt worse for watching Claire from over the shoulder, her fingers entangled with her husband's as she looked back at me with the blue eyes I fell in love with the first time I saw them.

I smiled anyway, thanked her for her time, but I couldn't possibly say it out loud. I left town and promised to come back as soon as I got the information I needed. It would take time, but it would all be worth it, I told myself.

It had just been a few years; maybe on the day that I finally come back, I'll be the first to save the sunshine that washed up on the shore of our beach.


End file.
